Hitting the Mark
It has been a while since I blogged an Amazing Find. However, this past Valentine’s Day I found one that I have to share.
I discovered Moonstruck Chocolate Co.’s Peanut Butter Hearts while wandering through Whole Foods. As we all know, I LOVE peanut butter and chocolate, but I do not think I have ever had a peanut butter cup quite like this.
Even though I truly needed a magnifying glass to read the ingredients, it was worth the effort to find the root of the decadence…feuilletine crunch! What?!? Feuilletine crunch is like thin, fan-shaped waffled wafers that are broken up into tiny pieces.
As an aside, Cacao Barry sells feuilleting crunch, if you are interested in trying it at home. They suggest adding it to centers of fancy chocolates for extra crunch and even for decoration. However, do not put this in a creamy mousse, because it will get soggy.
After eating Peanut Butter Hearts, until Whole Foods sold out of them, I decided that I had to find out if Moonstruck Chocolate Co.’s other chocolates were as good as these Hearts.
I opted to buy those chocolates that struck my fancy as I searched their website – Milk Chocolate Tumbled Sea Salt Caramels, Dark Hot Cocoa, Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Pecan Cluster and Dark Chocolate Chile Variado. With the order placed all I had to do was twiddle my thumbs until my package arrived.
Was it worth the wait? Absolutely. I think my favorite, if I had to choose, was the Dark Chocolate Sea Salt Caramel Pecan Cluster. At 2.54 ounces, this was quite the cluster. My only regret was that it was not 1 pound because I wanted more. The salty caramel is the perfect consistency and the roasted pecans add to the mix as if the two are really one. Moonstruck could have stopped with a simple coat of their rich dark chocolate; instead they added white chocolate drizzle over it, and I just loved it.
Ok, I really can’t choose only one favorite, because the Dark Chocolate Chile Variado bar is too good not to be included as a favorite. Moonstruck infused their decadent dark chocolate with ancho and chipotle chiles. This stood out for me because the chiles did not take over the chocolate but rather complemented it in a very subtle way. I did not need a glass of milk to cool my mouth down but most definitely was able to savor the chile component.
I wonder if the founders knew exactly how fantastic their chocolates would be 20 years later. Their concept, according to their own website was simple, “to handcraft superior chocolates – chocolates that would not only taste exquisite, but that would look exceptional, as well. The result would be a chocolate indulgence for all the senses.”
Congratulations Moonstruck on hitting the mark. I look forward to trying your next creation.
